In the words of Seth Godin, ‘People don’t buy goods and services. They buy relations, stories, and magic.’

Storytelling is a vital and captivating part of marketing - and copywriting is a key way for brands to tell their story.

But what exactly is copywriting?

Essentially a copywriter uses their writing skills to get people to do what they’re asking them to do - FAST.

Or, if you were looking for more of a dictionary definition… Effective copywriting uses persuasive words in advertising and marketing to inspire and motivate people to take a specific action. For example:

Great email and app notification copy should generate click throughs

• Web page copy should help your website rank on better google - providing it’s SEO-friendly (more on this later)
• A gripping blog post should spawn traffic to your website

You get the idea…

So where to start? Here’s our top 8 tips and tricks to creating effective copy:

Brush up on your TOV

First things first, all copywriters will agree that tone of voice (or TOV if like me you love an abbreviation) is EVERYTHING…

Tone of voice is essentially how brands CHOOSE to talk to their audience.

Brands taking time to build a consistent tone of voice that helps demonstrate both their expertise and attributes not only allows them to stand out from the crowd and embrace originality, but also helps to build lasting connections and trust within their consumer base.

So before you dive in and begin to write a killer copy, it’s super important that you familiarise yourself with the brand you’re writing for and most importantly its target customer!

Tip. Write as if you’re talking to someone whose attention you don't want to lose… First impressions are everything and we want to be sure we’re making a lasting one! Use language they will understand and most importantly trust YOUR voice on the page!

Your Customer is Key

Creating a connection with your audience though relatable and compelling content is vital.

Know your audience

It’s super important to get to know your audience when writing: so don’t be afraid to get up close and personal with them through market research, developing personas and studying analytics.

If you’re freelance, ask your client for brand books and handy TOV guides! Brushing up on your reading before getting down to writing is key!

Speak to your audience not at them:

• Learn what questions your audience are asking
• Consider what pains your customers have and what pleasures they fantasise about
• Pose a promising proposition or question
• Embrace brand oddities and showcase uniqueness

Your content should provide useful and beneficial content:

• Keep your copy accurate and enticing
• Deliver content in a timely manner

Cut to the Chase

In short, the key to creating great copy is keeping content SHORT - succinct and snappy. No frills, no faff - just great compelling words.

Why?

We live in a world where everyone wants everything instantaneously - so you want to catch your consumers' attention, fast.

Talk About Customer Benefits

Yes, product or service features are great, but you want to focus on telling the customer what they’re going to gain and benefit from their purchase - ideally within the first line of copy they’re going to read.

Is it gonna save them time? Is it gonna help them sleep better? Is it gonna level up their sneaker game? - We want to know! Shout about it!

Back your content up with data and expertise!

Ensure the benefits are consistently reiterated throughout the content. Everyone needs a reminder from time-to-time!

Create Killer Titles:

Invest 60%+ of your creative energy into the headline… It’s the first thing your reader is going to engage with after all!

Why did you click on an article? The headline. Why did you open an email? The headline. Why did you click on the app? Most likely the notification headline…

Here's a few tips for creating great titles:

• Start by creating an image that will stick in your audience's mind and spark curiosity
• Keep all titles short, simple and to the point
• Appeal to your readers hunger for knowledge
• Make your title unique
• Ensure you add in your target keywords (Google this one’s for you!)

Write Like a Reader

Consider what you would like to read if you were the reader/consumer… When sitting down to write a piece of content you should factor in the following:

Visual thinking

Engaging copy helps to create vivid images in your reader's mind. Use descriptive words to make their mouths water and leave them wanting more!

Coincide your copy to align with creative content and direction.

Consider layouts

There’s nothing more overwhelming than a giant wall of text, so it’s important to consider and plan your content layouts - for lengthy pieces of text consider using the following to help break up the page:

• Bullet points
• Formatting
• Headers and subheaders
• Call to actions - CTA’s help to create urgency throughout!

Tip. Keep paragraphs short and to the point!

Keywords are of course KEY

You’ll need to ensure your copy helps your website rank well. Play around and master slotting in keywords in the most natural and organic way possible.

Here’s a few things to consider:

• If it reads awkward, reconsider
• Avoid keyword stuffing! Remember when it comes to keywords, less really is more!
• Write like a HUMAN - Google will reward you for it!

Tip. Familiarising yourself with SEO practices will help you to create creative yet SEO-friendly copy.

Find your niche:

Believe it or not, as a copywriter you don’t actually need to be an expert in everything. The role itself involves research, research and more research - which in time can help you to be an expert in any field.

Write for different industries, explore your calling and find your niche!

Question what you actually like to write about:

Does writing about the next big sneaker drop keep you up at night? Or do you find writing corporate copy really gets you going?

Whatever it is, own it!

TO SUMMARISE

The key to creating killer content is:

• Back your content up with data and/or expertise
• Always aim to keep copy creative, clear and simple
• Create urgency using call to actions
• Always stress how your business can help solve a problem
• Create killer titles
• Always aim to create a connection with your reader
• Trust your voice on the page

And remember TOV really is everything!

If you’re looking to develop a stand out TOV for your website and socials - or browsing for a little help creating convincing and coherent copy, you know where to find us! Get in touch and email: kristin.kennedy-brown@riseatseven.com or find me on LinkedIn.